“Mommy? What’s the pwetty flowews called again?” I asked as we walked, with my younger sister riding on mom’s back, towards the flower field.
“Sunset Rose, which is close to your name,” mom smiled, being in the lead so I can watch my little sister. Speaking of, she was sucking on the tip of her hoof and staring around with purple eyes. My sister was lavender with a purple, pink, and violet mane and tail. She was a unicorn like mom and I so I was looking forward to helping her with her magic.
“Sunset Wose,” I smiled. “Do you fink Twily will like them as much as I do?”
“Mmm, it's hard to say what Twilight will like, but I believe so,” mom said thoughtfully and looked back to check on me and my sister. “Is everything okay back there?”
“Mhm, Twily’s just sucking on hew hoof and looking around,” I told my mother. mom nodded with a smile and turned back to the front as we left the city and headed towards the castle. Twilight gurgled around her hoof before laughing at something only she could hear and see. “Twily’s funny. Do you think dad will evew be able to come with us to see the flowews, mom?”
There was an uncomfortable silence for a good ten minutes before mom finally spoke. “... no, I don't think so, honey.”
“Aww, why not? Does he not like flowews?” I asked dejectedly with a bowed head.
“Not exactly,” mom winced at my tone. “He … he likes hanging out with his friends more.”
“Mowe than being with us?” I asked softly and I slowly stopped walking and began to sniffle. mom turned at hearing this and walked back the few steps she had gotten ahead.
“No, not more than being with us. With your father it's … complicated,” mom told me after levitating Twily off her back and over to me. Twily blinked at me before tapping my head with a free hoof. I recoiled a bit at her tapping, she hadn’t gotten used to being gentle yet so it felt more like a hit, and looked up at my mom with tears in my eyes.
“How is it compwicated? He eivew spends time wid us or wid his fwiends,” I said, a bit of anger getting into my voice.
“Shhh,” mom tried to console me. “Your father is a complicated stallion. He spends a lot of time with his friends, yes, but he also comes back home. When he does, and it's always late at night, he checks on you and Twily before going to bed with me.”
“So, he does wike spending mowe time wid his fwiends than wid us,” I concluded before running ahead towards the flowers. mom stayed silent but I could hear her pounding hooves run after me. I ran faster and faster as I tried to get away from my mom and to the flowers so I could hide amongst their yellow and red petals.
“Sunset!” mom called out. I ignored her and continued to run as I felt my tears soaking into my fur while the wind swept them backwards and into the air. When I finally arrived at the flowers, I ran into them and laid down with my hooves covering my eyes. I heard mom eventually stop at the edge of the field, and then some gurgles that got closer and closer. I knew it was my sister, but I didn’t dare take a hoof away to look, the flowers wouldn’t hide my eyes.
“Ba. Ba,” I heard Twilight when she reached me and tap my leg.
“You’we bottle is back home, Twily. Go back to mom,” I whispered to her. Twilight babbled a bit more before curling up against the same leg she had been tapping. I sighed and remained as I was, hoping that mom thought Twilight was just resting in the flowers and not against me.
“Sunset, if there's an unopened flower near you, try using your fire on it,” mom suggested. I heard her turn in the grass and felt the air grow slightly colder.
“I don’t cawe about the flowews, mom. I want dad to spend time wid us,” I said, revealing my location in the process.
“I'll tell him to do so when he gets home tonight,” mom sighed heavily.
“Besides, dewe’s nevew an unopened flowew,” I told her as I raised my head up and looked towards her.
“Goo goo,” Twilight gurgled from behind me.
“What’we you looking at dis time, Twily?” I asked as I turned my head to try to see what she was babbling about. I saw an unopened bud when the sunset’s light hit it while it's brethren opened up there leaves. I blinked at it and then stared, wondering why it wasn’t opening. “Dere’s an unopened flowew? Dere’s nevew an unopened flowew.”
“Goo,” Twilight babbled, seeming to agree with me, but she never really meant anything by her sounds.
“mom, dere’s a flowew that isn’t opening!” I called out and pointed at the flower. I found mom looking straight at me and for a second, thought I saw an uneasy expression but all I found was her smiling.
“Good. Try warming it up then,” mom encouraged me.
“Wawming it up? But fiwe buwns flowews? How’m I suppozed to do that?” I asked with a cock of my head.
“Yes, fire burns flowers, but if you manage to light your horn and slowly raise the temperature until it matches a sunset, then it might just bloom,” mom explained slowly.
“Match a sunset? Dat sounds weally hawd, but I’ll twy,” I replied before turning to the flower while standing up. I took a breath and lit my horn before pouring my magic into the flower to try to raise its temperature without burning it. As I poured in my magic, I began to shake, sweat, and grunt in exertion. This fine of control wasn’t something I’d really tried before, after all. I’d just let my magic go when I was using fire spells before.
Beside the flower, Twilight looked up at the castle, and giggled when she saw something. I kept my focus on the flower and gritted my teeth as I peeked out of my shut eyes to see if my efforts were doing anything. The flower, as slow as a snail, appeared to be blooming under my efforts.
“I’m doing it?” I said in disbelief before gasping. “mom, I’m doing it!”
“Go, go, go! Whoo!” mom cheered goofily. I chuckled at this and smiled as I continued helping the flower to bloom. The flower eventually fully unfurled, and I found my vision filled with white for a brief second for my troubles. I shook my head and looked around in confusion.
“mom? What was that flash?” I asked as I looked around me.
“Check your flank,” mom whispered happily from behind me.
“My flank? It’s blank, mom,” I said before looking back at my flank. What I saw made my eyes go wide as my smile split my face. It was my cutie mark! I’d finally gotten it! It looked like a red and yellow sunburst, but I knew it was the Sunset Rose I’d just helped to bloom. “I got my cutie mark! I got my cutie mark!”
Twilight giggled and babbled with me when a shadow fell across the field.
“Princess Celestia,” mom breathed in reverence from right beside me. She must have walked when I wasn't looking.
“Pwincess Cewestia? Where?” I asked as I looked around before gasping when I finally saw the Princess landing nearby. “Wh-what do we do, mom? She’s actually here.”
“We bow,” mom instructed as she did just that, only for the silence to be filled with Twilight’s joyous babbling. I nodded and followed my mother’s example in bowing before the Princess. I saw Twilight crawl up to my lowered face and sit right in front of it, regarding me curiously.
“It’s the Pwincess, Twily. The Pwincess,” I said in an attempt to make my sister realize who was with us. Twily continued looking at me only to end up suckling her hoof. I sighed and shook my head.
“Princess … Celestia?” mom managed to ask after some time of quiet had passed.
“Forgive me, my ponies. I couldn’t help but enjoy the little filly’s actions,” Celestia told us.
“Oh, er, Twilight’s?” mom chuckled nervously, her voice having a bit of a strain to it.
“Twilight… that name fits her,” Celestia said softly. “Please, raise your heads. Holding that position for this long probably isn’t comfortable.”
I followed mom when she gently tapped my neck. I returned to a normal standing position and couldn’t help but stare at the radiance of the Princess in the sunlight.
“Sunset?” mom asked, waving a hoof in my face. “Equestria to Sunset Shimmer.”
“Huh? Oh, uh, sowwy, mom. Seeing the Pwincess dis close stuned me,” I said with a shake of my head. The Princess giggled at this with a smile. mom sighed and smiled, levitating Twilight onto her back.
“Why did you grace us with your presence, Princess?” mom asked, a hint of snarkiness in her tone but it was too subtle to tell for sure.
“I was watching the sunset and the flowers here bloom from my room when I saw you three. I noticed how your daughter was using her magic and wondered if she’d succeed or not. I was amazed that a filly her age was able to make a Sunset Rose bloom and that she gained her cutie mark from it, no less. So, I decided to come down and congratulate her on getting her cutie mark and extend an invitation to attend my school if she isn’t already,” Celestia explained to us. When I heard this, my jaw dropped. Attend Princess Celestia’s school!? That’s what every Unicorn dreamed of! It’s the best school there is! I looked over at my mother with my mouth still wide open.
“Close your mouth, you'll catch flies,” mom said automatically, barely an emotion on her face. I quickly shut my mouth and stared at my mom. She’d never been like this before and it kind of scared me. I saw mom close her eyes and breathed out slowly. “How much do you want to go?”
“A lot, but I also want to be with you a lot,” I answered in a small voice.
“Is there an option where Sunset can go there and come back home?” mom asked monotonously, turning to face the Princess when she opened her eyes.
“Of course, we try to accommodate family circumstances. She may live at home and come to school each day like she normally does. This can change, if need be, in the future to a dormitory,” Celestia told my mother.
“Sunset ... you can go to Princess Celestia’s school,” mom announced but it sounded like she had a hard time saying it.
“Are you suwe, mom? You don’t sound vewy good,” I said uneasily.
“Yes, Sunny. I'm sure,” mom nodded, the first sign of an emotion since the Princess told us to stand.
“Thanks, mom. I’m really happy that I can go there, but still be with you,” I said as I hugged one of my mother’s legs. mom smiled softly when I looked up and hugged me close with her free leg.
“What is your name? I’ll have one of our staff bring the paperwork by later on for you to sign,” Celestia said to my mother.
“Sorry, Princess. My name is Jewel Shine,” mom answered with a smile and told the Princess where we lived as well.
“Well, Jewel, I’ll let you get back to your family time. I’ve intruded long enough,” Celestia said before taking off back to her castle.
“It's getting late. We'd better get home,” mom said and seemed to take off at a quick trot after levitating my sister onto my back.
“Okay,” I nodded and ran after my mother. Something about her seemed off after our encounter with the Princess, but I was too happy to worry about it.